More than 30 new houses could be built on three NHS sites newly identified as surplus in Walsall.

New figures released this week by NHS Digital show that in 2017/18, three sites owned by Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust were newly identified as surplus to the delivery of healthcare, and which can be sold off.

These are a car park and four office blocks on the Manor Hospital site, with a total market value of £1.4m.

Overall, an estimated 32 new houses could be built on these sites, with plans to sell off the sites in 2018.

Another NHS site, Newington Resources Centre in Marston Green belonging to the Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Trust was also newly identified as surplus.

There are plans to market the site, where an estimated eight new houses could be built, in 2020, with no market value for the plot identified yet.

Walsall Manor Hospital

Across the West Midlands, 15 plots of land were identified as surplus at March 31, 2018, for a total market value of £20.2m, three were sold for £264,000.

An estimated 740 houses could be built on these sites.

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In England, overall, 718 plots of land totalling 1,749.4 hectares were declared as surplus in 2017/18, corresponding to a market value of £260m. However the value of many properties has not been included yet.

Of these sites, 104 sold or had contracts exchanged during 2017/18, with 155 having sold prior to last year.

There were 129 plots which were either for sale or where there are firm plans for selling off the site.

Figures include 143 plots of land where there are issues of sensitivity around the availability.

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Examples of such issues include where plans are at a very early stage, where plans have not yet been discussed, or where discussions with a potential buyer are ongoing and where confidentiality is required as a condition of those discussions.

The number of plots of lands has increased from 563 identified as surplus in 2016/17, totalling 1,331.9 hectares for a declared market value of £282m.